Cactaceae Plant named &#34;Gail Glazier&#34;

ABSTRACT

A plant variety of the Cactaceae family,  Schlumbergera truncata,  called ‘Gail Glazier’ having a predominantly white colored bloom characterized as R.H.S 155 D (white group). The new variety has a strong resistance to bud abscission, a strong propensity for buds to mature and flower, an erect growth habit, and an ability to branch easily with minimal pruning, contributing to a dense appearance.

LATIN NAME OF GENUS AND SPECIES OF PLANT CLAIMED

The new plant is a species of Schlumbergera truncata.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

The new plant's varietal denomination is ‘Gail Glazier.’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of the Cactaceae family. The new variety is named Schlumbergera truncata ‘Gail Glazier’. The inventor is Thomas H. Boyle, a citizen of the United States.

Many varieties of Schlumbergera truncata tend to bloom in the winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Because of their blooming time, there is a large market for these varieties during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons as a decorative plant. In fact, the common name for these plants is Christmas Cactus.

There are many commercially developed varieties of Christmas Cactus. Patented varieties include: (‘Lavender Doll’ (Cobia, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,690); ‘Christmas Charm’ (Cobia et al., U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,196); ‘Rudolph’ (Higaki, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,234); ‘Dasher’ (Higaki, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,367); and Rudolph II (Martens, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,487).

For many varieties of the species, bud abscission is a problem: a large portion of the initial buds that form on the plant fall off before they reach full maturity. Furthermore, many cultivars possess the further undesirable characteristic that many of the buds that do set on the plant fail to mature and bloom. Preferred cultivars resist bud abscission, as well as produce buds that have a propensity to mature.

The present variety, ‘Gail Glazier’ was developed at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and is a hybrid obtained by cross pollinating flowers of the commercial variety ‘Think Pink’ with pollen collected from flowers of the commercial variety ‘Eva’.

‘Gail Glazier’ is characterized by its flower color, large flowers, reflexed tepals, and large phylloclades. The flower tepals are predominantly white with a blush of pink at the base and margins of the tepals and the mouth of the tube has a pink ring.

‘Gail Glazier’ resists bud abscission, as well as produces buds that have a propensity to mature. The present variety sets many buds per phylloclade often 2 to 3, many of which reach full maturity and bloom, generally 1 to 2.

This present variety is also outstanding for its propensity to grow tall and upright without too much spreading, thus giving it a dense appearance.

In addition, the new variety also possesses the additional commercially desirable characteristics of a strong propensity to branch with minimal pruning, also contributing to its dense appearance.

The inventor has asexually reproduced the new variety at a commercial nursery in Half Moon Bay, Calif. through three successive generations by cuttings, and has found that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed remain firmly fixed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawings serve, by color photographic means, to illustrate the new plant variety. The colors are represented as truly as possible using conventional photographic procedures.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a number of plants grown from a number of cuttings in one pot of the new variety illustrating the overall appearance and form of the plant, and the abundance of blooms.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a number plants grown from a number of cuttings in one pot of the new variety, illustrating the overall appearance and form of the plant, and the abundance of blooms.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a number plants grown from a number of cuttings in one pot of the new variety, illustrating the overall appearance and form of the plant, and the abundance of blooms.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a bloom of the new variety.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a bloom of the new variety.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the uppermost phylloclades of a number of plants showing mature buds of the new variety that are close to being ready to open.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a number plants grown from a number of cuttings in one pot of the new variety, illustrating the overall appearance and form of the plant.

FIG. 8 is a side view of an uppermost phylloclade of the new variety.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of the new variety. The new variety has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. Color designation and other values stated may deviate slightly from the stated values from flowering to flowering, but the deviations will be within the range expected from varying environmental, seasonal and cultural conditions. Color designations were made according to the R.H.S. Color Chart published by The Royal Horticultural Society of London, England.

The plants observed were grown in 6 inch pots. The tops of the plants observed were approximately 25 to 30 cm above the soil level. The following description is based on observations of optimally fertilized, mature plants.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

-   Name: Schlumbergera truncata ‘Gail Glazier’. Classification: Family     — Cactaceae. Tribe — Rhipsalideae (Cactoideae). Genus —     Schlumbergera. Species — Schlumbergera truncata (Haw.) Moran     [Epiphyllum truncatum Haw.; Zygocactus truncatus (Haw.) K. Schum.].     Bailey and Bailey and the staff of the Bailey Hortorium, Hortus     Third (1976). Commercial — Thanksgiving Cactus, Christmas Cactus. -   Form: Epiphytic, shade-loving, succulent, leafless plant with     jointed and branched stems. -   Stems: General — Irregular with much branching (especially when     pinched) of upright, adventitiously rootable, flattened phylloclades     that have a prominent midrib (especially in phylloclades at the base     of mature plants) and prominently toothed lateral wings. Branching     can be encouraged in the plant by pinching the top phylloclade.     -   -   Phylloclades.—General: The phylloclades are obovate to             oblong, elongated and flattened (particularly when young)             and have a transversely elongated, areole bearing, truncated             apex. From the transversely elongated apex, the wing margins             generally run straight or taper slightly to the basal             portions (or they flare outwardly somewhat, especially the             uppermost phylloclades, where they then taper and merge             through a pointed, basal juncture with the phylloclade             therebelow). The margins are also toothed and an axillary             areole is associated with each tooth.         -   Phylloclades.—Size: Length — Mature phylloclades that are             over a year old are usually between 45 mm and 60 mm. Width —             Mature phylloclades that are over a year old are usually 23             mm to 35 mm. Thickness — Basal phylloclades with up to three             levels of phylloclades above them can be as thick as 1 cm at             the midrib. Young phylloclades are as thick as 3 to 4 mm at             the center, and tapering to 1 mm near the edges. Color:             Mature phylloclades are predominately R.H.S. 146 A             (yellow-green group), young phylloclades are the same.         -   Phylloclades.—Midrib: General — Extends longitudinally of             phylloclade and continuously through joints with laterally             tapering cortex at wing insertions. Pith surrounds the             vascular bundles that branch and provide lateral extensions             of the vascular system to marginal teeth. Texture — Smooth,             waxy epidermis with wax in small embedded scales and             becoming corky in basal stem areas with age.         -   Phylloclades.—Wings: General shape — Generally flattened             from midrib cortex to tooth insertions with slight thinning             taper toward margins. Margins — Toothed (modified leaves).             Texture — Succulent to leathery with smooth, waxy epidermis             having wax arranged in small embedded scales and becoming             corky in basal plant areas with age.         -   Phylloclades.—Teeth: General shape — Generally flattened and             tapering along margins from wing insertion to an apex,             having a hyaline, pointed spine with nonpredicatable             bending. Adaxial margin shape: Generally concave, so that             teeth project generally distally of the phylloclade base in             an alternate arrangement, but also with both straight and             convex adaxial margin tendencies. Abaxial margin shape:             Irregular with tendencies toward straight to convex. Tooth             Margins: Entire. Texture — Succulent to leathery with a             smooth waxy epidermis having wax in small embedded scales             and becoming corky in basal plant areas with age. Number —             Usually 2 to 4 on each side, mostly 3. Size — Teeth of             mature phylloclades are 1 mm thick at insertion point with             wings. Areole to apex dimension (adaxial margin side):             usually 3 to 8 mm in length. -   Areoles: Terminal areole — Large, compound, elongated, oval-shaped     with several acicular bristles, copious multi-cellular hairs, and     several buds that may mature into either new phylloclades or     flowers. The opposite ends of the areole are located adjacent to     subsidiary areoles which are in turn located at the axils of the     uppermost teeth located at the distal end of the of phylloclade.     Axially areoles — Acicular bristles without glochidia but having     copious, short, brownish to colorless, multi-cellular hairs. Areoles     are sometimes found in the basal portion of the phylloclade in     association with a vestigial tooth that is less than 1 mm in length.     (Vestigial teeth not considered in teeth number or length of teeth.) -   Buds: Unarmored and ovid, generally R.H.S. 145 B (yellow-green     group)). -   Flowers: General — Sessile, zygomorphic, usually in pairs, triplets     or solitary, terminal, perfect, and epigynous with double hypanthium     and tepals (undifferentiated whorled sepals and petals) having a     spiral emergence as a perianth provided with a sepaloid series of     free tepals, a tube laminating series of tepals, and a tube forming     series of united tepals.     -   -   Sepaloid series of tepals.—General: Free tepals inserted on             top of the ovary. Shape: Deltoid in outer members of the             whorl and grading inwardly on the whorl to tepals which are             ovate and less frequently elliptical. Tips are broadly             acuminate with some acute tendencies, and margins are entire             with sparse irregular teeth appearing mainly in the apex             areas. Texture: Succulent and glabrous outer whorl members             and grading inwardly in the whorl to silken blades with             fleshy basal areas. Number: Usually 5. Size (at full bloom):             Base-tip dimension — 6 mm to 18 mm. Width dimension — 5 mm             to 14 mm. Color: The sepaloid series of tepals are             predominantly R.H.S. 155D (white group) and translucent. The             outermost and smallest tepals are R.H.S. 145 A (yellow-green             group).         -   Tube laminating series of tepals.—General: Tepals inserted             on ovary and basally united below the throat as outer             laminations on the perianth tube and with progressively             greater amounts of basal fusion inwardly in the whorl.             Shape: Grading inwardly in the whorl with progressively             longer base-tip dimensions and with blade areas changing             inwardly from ovate to broadly elliptical and with acute             tips. Entire margins with sparse irregular teeth mainly in             apex areas. Texture: Succulent, slightly fleshly basal areas             with silken blades. Number: usually 6. Size (at full bloom):             Base-tip dimension — 18 mm to 42 mm. Width dimension — 15             and 20 mm. Color: The margins and distal ends of the tube             laminating series of sepals are R.H.S. 155 D (white group)             on both the abaxial and adaxial surfaces.         -   Tube forming series of tepals.—General: Tepals basally             united to form a hollow perianth tube that is inserted on             ovary and equipped with a irregular carina (keel) at the             throat. Shape: Perianth tube — Elongated and ellipsoidal to             oval in cross-section. Blades — Generally elliptic to             broadly elliptic with ovate tendencies and with acuminate             tips. Entire margins with sparse, irregular teeth mainly in             apex area. Carina (keel) — Transcending and irregular.             Texture: Perianth tube — Thick, succulent, and slightly             ribbed. Blades — Translucent and silken. Carina (keel) —             Fleshy. Blade number: 8. Size (at full bloom): Base-tip             dimension — 65 to 74 mm. Perianth tube — Base to throat             length is 37 to 42 mm. Color (at full bloom): Perianth tube             — R.H.S 73 D (red-purple group). Blades — The inner             interface between the blades of the tube forming tepals and             the tube is R.H.S. 74 A (red-purple group). Veins in the             perianth tube are R.H.S. 62 C (red-purple group).             Orientation at full bloom: The blades of tube forming tepals             are reflexed, the tube is angled from the axis of the ovary.         -   Androecium (stamens).—General: Numerous exserted and             diadelphous stamens with one group having filaments basally             fused to the perianth tube and the other group having             filaments basally united to form a nectary housing.             Filament: General — Translucent and glabrous with anther             connective. Shape — Long, slender and gradually tapering             from base to anther connective. Texture — Glabrous and             silken. Color — Translucent white R.H.S. 155D (white group).             Number — approximately 80. Size (at full bloom) — Length: 40             to 65 mm. Anthers: Shape — Rod shaped. Size — 1 mm long.             Texture — Course or grainy. Color (pollen color) — R.H.S. 10             C (yellow group).         -   Gynoecium (pistil).—General: Compound, parietal placentation             with united style surrounded by an annular diffuse nectary             at its insertion. Style: General — Stout and inserted in             ovary. Shape — Elongated. Texture — Fleshy and glabrous.             Color — R.H.S. 61 B (red-purple group) just below stigma,             changing to 71 B (red-purple group) at its base. Size (at             full bloom) — 65 mm long. Stigma: General — Exserted and             erect with anywhere from 4 to 7 inner marginally adhering             lobes. Shape — Elongated and tapering toward lobe tips and             having relatively blunt apices. Texture — Fleshy and smooth             with short glutinous hairs. Color — R.H.S. 74 A (red-purple             group). Size — 4 mm long. -   Ovary: General — Thin epidermis and distally located concavity, and     with a single cavity usually having 6 or 7 carpels with numerous     ovules. Shape — Terete to ovoid and generally broadening from     insertion to floral end. Texture — Succulent and glabrous with thin     outer epidermis. Size (at full bloom): Height — 10 to 13 mm. Width —     11 mm. Color: 145 A (yellow-green group). 

1. A new and distinct variety of Cactaceae plant, substantially as herein shown and described. 